Only a fleshwound
by Jaden Tao
Summary: When Hiyori is confronted by an arrancar her first instinct is to fight back, even if it will be a losing battle. but are the consequences worse than she feared? HiyorixShinji. this story is like my baby so please review
1. Chapter 1

"Idiot! You could've lived if you'd stayed down!" the arrancar taunted, driving his sword through Hiyori's gut. She leaned against the telephone pole, waiting for an opportunity to escape.

"Grimmjow" another arrancar called, surprising the first arrancar.

"Damn you're lucky" Grimmjow said, kicking her once more before leaving.

She stumbled back into the warehouse, a trail of steadily increasing blood behind her. When she got inside she was surprised and relieved to find that no one seemed to be there.

With trembling hands she began to carefully remove her bloodstained t-shirt, wincing as the material brushed against the wound.

"You got beat, eh?" Shinji asked, leaning against the wall.

"Shinji!" she shrieked, covering herself with her shirt.

"Yeah yeah, I've seen it all before" he said nonchalantly.

"What?!" she shouted.

"Relax, I was just kidding! Now lets see it" he said, kneeling in front of her.

"I'm fine" she spat.

"You got a bra on behind that shirt?" he asked.

"So what if I do?!" she snapped. Much to her objection, he ripped the shirt from her hands, examining the wound.

"Damn" he muttered, picking her up.

"Where are you taking me?!" she asked, weakly struggling in his arms.

"The hospital, dumbass" he answered, "now quit fidgeting so much."

It had begun to rain outside, the cold water washing away the blood from the ground. He began hurriedly walking to the hospital, soon picking up into a run. He burst through the hospital door panting, soaking wet, and holding a half dead girl in his arms. A group of nurses rushed over and took her out of his arms and told him to stay in the waiting room.

A few hours (and a few boring old magazines) later, a surgeon came out.

"Hey doc, how is she?" he asked, somewhat anxiously.

"I think you'd better see her for yourself. She's been asking for you the whole time" the doctor said. He lead Shinji to her room, which she shared with a rough looking gang kid. He pulled up a chair and waited for her to come to. Her eyes began to slowly open half an hour later.

"Hey Shinji..." she began.

"Yeah?" he asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

"If you tell anyone about this...I'll kill you..." she growled.

"Whatever" he sighed, "You really are a dumbass."

"Why's that?!" she snapped.

"You fought an arrancar all by yourself...why didn't you get me?!" he asked, raising his voice.

"I don't need your help" she said.

"Bullshit! If it weren't for me you wouldn't be here! You'd be dead!" he yelled, his last words echoing into silence. She looked up at him, surprised and frightened.

"Sorry..." he began.

"You think I don't know that?! You think I don't know that I could've died?! You think I don't know that it's all my fault?! I know! Don't you think _this_ is enough without you yelling at me?!" she shouted, pointing at her bandaged stomach.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have yelled at you" he said, taking her hand. She pulled it away, glaring at him.

"Just forget it" she ordered. He rolled his eyes, his gaze returning to the window.

"So...what did the doctor say?" she asked, somewhat nervous.

"Eh, nothing" he sighed.

"I don't need to be sheltered! Is it that bad?" she inquired.

"Nah, you'll be outta here by tomorrow" he assured.

"No! I'm not going to going to stay here overnight! Get me out of here!" she ordered, trying to sit up.

"Not a chance in hell! Ain't no way I'm stealing you from the hospital!" he exclaimed.

"Do it" she ordered, "or I'll get myself out."

"You just try to leave and I call the doc" he threatened.

"Is that so?" she asked, shakily standing. She fell crumbled to the ground, yelping in pain.

"Damn you're persistent" he complained, picking her up. Right before the nurse came in, they were out the window, running along the rooftops.

"Much better" she said, smirking.

"Shaddup. If your wound bursts open I ain't bringing you back" he snapped.

"No one asked you to" she retorted.

"Just warning ya" he said, shrugging. That was the last thing they said until they got to the warehouse. The other vaizard still hadn't returned and Shinji was beginning to wonder if they ever would.

"You should rest" he said, placing her on a long refrigerator crate.

"I'm fine" she insisted, trying to sit up again.

"Nice try" he said, pulling up a crate and sitting next to her.

"So what, you're just gonna sit there?" she asked, annoyed.

"Yep" he answered, taking out a manga.

He yawned, looking over at the now sleeping Hiyori. Deciding that she was in a deep slumber, too deep to wake up soon, he leaned against the makeshift bed and fell asleep.

He woke up when he heard someone else enter the warehouse.

"Where's Hiyori?" Lily asked, looking around.

"Wha? She's right...Damn!" he exclaimed, realizing that she wasn't there. He ran outside, looking around for her.

"Hiyori!" he shouted, "Where the hell are you?!"

There was no response, his voice echoing down the empty street.

"Shit" he muttered, running up the street. A few blocks away he found Hiyori, collapsed on the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hiyori!" he called, running up to her. She slowly opened her eyes, an expression of relief now on her pained face.

"Shin...ji..." she whispered.

"Yeah, I'm here" he said, lifting her up.

"Where...are we...going?"she managed to ask.

"Home" he answered.

"No...I can't go...not like this..." she argued.

"Whatever" he sighed, not in the mood to argue with her.

He brought her to an abandoned old house, its rotted door easy to break down. The inside was old and musty, covered in dust and cobwebs. The air smelled like smoke and ash, the house probably abandoned after a fire.

He set her down on a dusty moth-eaten couch, sitting next to her.

"Shinji...it's cold...do something..." she ordered, pulling her sweatshirt tighter around her. He took off his coat and tossed it at her before starting a fire.

"Better?" he asked, returning to his seat next to her. She nodded weakly, gazing tiredly into the fire.

"Why...why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Eh? Why not? You'd just beat me if I didn't" he answered.

_Why am I doing this?_ He asked himself, _why do I always do what she tells me to instead of whats best for her?_

Ever since they were shinigami in the Eleventh Division he'd been doing what she told him to.

"Shinji! Get my zanpakutô!" she ordered.

"Screw that! I"m going to get the captain!" he yelled back, running.

"Stop! Don't get him!" she shouted. Rolling his eyes, he reached the tree where she so irresponsibly left her zanpakutô.

"Catch!" he yelled, tossing it to her. In Heinz sight her should've just gotten the captain, but for some reason he couldn't.

Another time was when she got in trouble and had to face Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

"Tell him I'm sick" she ordered.

"Not a chance! Just suck it up and go!" he shot back. She glared at him, reaching for something to smack him with. "Fine" he sighed, leaving to tell the Captain-Commander.

Then she ordered him to leave Soul Society, abandon everything he had. He tried to refuse, tried to talk her out of it, but failed miserably and as a result was dragged out of Soul Society. They gained hollow powers, committing the ultimate taboo. They had crossed the Rubicon, they couldn't go back to Soul Society now.

"Shinji!" Hiyori yelled.

"Yeah, what?" he yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"You were just staring into space...it was freaking me out" she explained.

"You were worried" he pointed out.

"I was not! It was just scary!" she lied.

"Whatever...thanks for the concern" he said sarcastically.

"I wasn't worried!" she snapped. She leaned onto him, using him as a human(ish) pillow.

"How long has it been since we left Soul Society?" she asked. He gazed into the fire, pondering her question. When he had finally come up with a somewhat intelligent sounding response she was already asleep, snoring loudly.

He shifted position, trying to make it somewhat more comfortable for her. He wasn't the human pillow type, for that she would need Hachigan...or Orihime.


	3. Chapter 3

He woke up when there was a loud crash of thunder outside, sounding extremely close. The abandoned house was completely dark, aside from the lightning flashes illuminating it. A shadow sat at the windowsill, a flash of lightning revealing it to be Hiyori.

"What're ya looking at?" he asked, standing behind her.

"That girl is out there" she said, pointing to a figure sitting on the sidewalk.

"Which girl?" he asked.

"That girl who was looking for Ichigo, your 'first crush', big boobs" she described.

"Ah! Inoue-chan!" he exclaimed, heading for the door. A car pulled up in front of her, Tatsuki stepping out. After a few seconds, Orihime climbed in and the car pulled away.

"Aw damn! She got away!" he whined, falling onto the couch.

"Why haven't you ever called me your 'first crush'?" she asked, returning also to the couch.

"You really shouldn't be roaming around like that" he lectured.

"Why?" she repeated.

"Ya ain't gonna give up until you get an answer, eh?" he questioned.

"WHY?!" she shouted.

"Cuz you're different...you're not the 'first crush type" he explained.

"Thanks...I guess..." she finally said.

"I respect you" he continued. She felt herself slightly blush, something that she absolutely hated. The last thing she wanted was to be was the girly type, giggling and flirting like a slut. She had vowed that she would cut out her tongue if she ever said 'like omigod".

"You're just telling me what I want to hear" she snapped.

"Not really" he retorted, "Like you'd let me get away with that".

"Because you clearly 'respect' me" she argued.

"I do" he insisted.

"Prove it" she challenged. He leaned in towards her, their faces only inches away. She could feel her pulse quicken. He suddenly stood up and began walking to the door.

"Where are you going?!" she demanded.

"The others are probably worried about us" he explained, halfway out the door.

"No! Stop!" she shouted, jumping up. She took a shakey step towards him, going to stop him.

"Hiyori!" he exclaimed, rushing toward her. Her look of anger suddenly turned to fear and surprise as her legs gave out under her. He was a second too late, slipping and landing under her.

"What the hell?!" she cried out, her body fallen weak onto his legs.

"Damn it" he sighed in relief.

"Nice going" she commented, "Perfect landing. Somebody get this guy a gold medal."

"Shut up! At least you didn't hit the ground" he snapped.

"At least it would've been more comfortable than this" she shot back.

"Let's find out" he said sarcastically, lifting her off of him. Instead of dropping her on the ground, he placed her gently on the couch.


	4. Chapter 4

They had now been gone for about a day and a half. Shinji knew that the other vaizard would come looking for them soon if they weren't already looking. Hiyori now seemed almost recovered, able to walk short distances without having to lean on something.

They hadn't talked about the night before, avoiding it with small talk and bad jokes. It was already about noon and they had run out of conversation. They were only left in silence to wallow in their own thoughts. They knew that sooner or later someone would mention last night, the issue was when.

"Let's go back" Shinji finally said, breaking the nervous silence.

"No!" Hiyori snapped.

"Why the hell not!" he argued.

"Because I don't want to be with everyone else" she sighed. She quickly bit her tongue, afraid that he might assume that she liked him.

"I'm hungry," he said, trying to break another tense silence. She stood up and limped into the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets.

"What're ya looking for?" he asked, following her into the kitchen.

"Food" she answered simply, continuing the food hunt. She finally found an old can of bean paste curd. She began to pry it open with a rusty can opener.

"Aren't you quite the housewife" he mocked, somewhat surprised that she knew how to cook.

"Shut up or you're not eating" she growled, throwing the can opener at his head.

"Yes mom" he muttered, going into the living room. He froze when he saw a familiar face peeking into the window.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaachi!" Mashiro called, running from the window. Another face appeared in the window, staring at Shinji.

"They're in here!" Hachi called. The rest of the group gathered around the window. Shinji, now recovering from mild shock, rushed toward the window and closed the curtains.

"Come in and eat if you don't wanna starve" Hiyori barked.

"Uh…yeah…" he called, making sure the door was locked.

"What took you so long?" she asked when he got into the kitchen.

"Some idiots trying to sell something" he lied, looking over his shoulder expectantly.

There was a sudden crash in the living room, wood chips flying everywhere. The group of vaizard stood around the door in an attempt of a heroic pose.

"What the hell?!" Hiyori yelled, picking up wood chips and throwing them at the vaizard.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Lisa-chan said that Hiyori-chan was hurt!" Mashiro cried, hiding behind Hachi.

"Oh?" Hiyori asked, glaring at Lisa.

"They asked!" Lisa snapped, gesturing at the vaizard behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

"Out! Get out! I'm fine!" Hiyori shouted.

"Hiyori..." Shinji began, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No! I don't want to go!" she argued.

"Do you realize how whiny and selfish you sound?" Rose asked.

"Do I care?" Hiyori asked sarcastically, being dragged away by Shinji. He pulled her into the kitchen where their meal was still waiting.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, "It was one thing when we were hiding...but they've found us and came to personally pick us up. We have to go."

"No we don't!" she spat.

"Why don't you want to go back? What do you have against the vaizard?!" he asked, sounding almost annoyed.

"I just don't" she said.

"Why?!" he persisted.

"The man who attacked me swore revenge. If I go back I'll jeopardize the existence of vaizard" she explained, "I dragged you along because you're stronger than me and I knew you'd avenge me."

"Who was this guy?" he inquired.

"Some arrancar, I think he was called Grimmjow" she said.

"Son of a bitch" he muttered.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"The vaizard will get on fine without us" he said, grabbing her and running.

"Slow down!" she whined, a quarter of a mile away from the house now.

"We don't have time to" he panted, "The vaizard are bright, they'll figure out that we're gone soon."

"They follow you as a leader. I'm not concerned" she mumbled.

"Be nice. I'm saving your ass" he reminded.

"Never asked you to" she snapped.

"Fine then, I'll just take you back" he threatened.

"No!" she exclaimed, "Don't you dare!"

The stubborn desperation in her voice almost made him feel sorry for constantly taunting her.

"Alright, alright" he sighed, tossing her over his shoulder. They ran further, now too far away from the house to find their way back.

"Shinji...it's cold" she complained, rubbing her hands together.

"Alright, the others will be out looking for us so it's safe for us to get some things" he said, headed toward the abandoned factory building they called "home".

When the arrived, they found Ichigo, waiting to continue his training.

"Hiyori!" he exclaimed, immediately noticing her wound. Grabbing her from Shinji, he began running to the family clinic.

"Kurosaki! Hey!" Shinji called, chasing him.

"Where the hell are you taking me, dickhead?!" she yelled, trying to get free,

"I'm taking you to the hospital, dumbass" he spat, turning down his street.

Bursting through the doors, he was immediately joined by Karin and Yuzu, who already had a cot arranged for her. Shortly behind them, Shinji came running through the doors, panting.

Hiyori!" he called, lost in the middle of the chaos.

"You there!" Isshin Kurosaki called, "What's your buisness here?! Please go to the waiting room!"

"Where the hell is she?" Shinji growled, grabbing Isshin's collar.

"P-please stop, we're treating Hiyori-san's wounds right now" Yuzu said, innocently pulling on his pant leg to get his attention. Looking down at the innocent looking girl, he sighed and went into yet another waiting room. God, how he was sick of waiting rooms.


	6. Chapter 6

It had already been a few hours since Hiyori had been taken behind those doors...What the hell was taking so long? She was fine...wasn't she?

"Um...Hirako Shinji-san?" He looked down to find Yuzu.

"Yeah?"

"Hiyori-san's injuries are taken care of. It was nothing too serious, but she's resting right now." Damn, she sounded so professional. "She would like to see you, though. We gave her a few things to relieve the pain, so she's currently not in her normal state of mind. She may not remember much of your visit."

The young girl led him through the doors Hiyori was taken through not too long ago. _Is this a real hospital or Kurosaki's house?_He wondered as he passed the cots and machines that lined the hall, mentally wondering if he could intensify Ichigo's training because he lived in a hospital.

Yuzu's steps were quick and deliberate, not allowing him much thought as he tried to keep up with her. She paused at the door, glancing back at him before opening it.

Hiyori looked like she could hardly hold her head up, her eyes were slightly glazed over, overall she looked so different. She tried to slightly lift her head, her hand limply reaching out to him. He instinctively rushed over to her, grabbing her hand without much thought.

"Shinji..." she wheezed. He leaned closer, her hand raising to brush against his hair. She closed her eyes, pausing momentarily.

"Yes?" he asked eagerly.

"Shinji...YOU DUMBASS!" Her hand smacked his head as hard as she could manage, which was still enough to cause him pain.

"What the hell did I do?!" he snapped, rubbing the forming lump on the back of his head.

"You let him take me _here_?! Here of all places! That dickhead will tell the others where we are!!!"

"Well what the hell was I supposed to do?! He just grabbed you before I could do anything!"

"Tch! And to think I actually put my life in your hands! If you can't even stop Ichigo from kidnapping me, you're not nearly strong enough to take on that arrancar!"

"SHUT _UP_!" he shouted, startling her into silence, "This was completely different! I've fought Grimmjow before and I can easily kick his ass again! Besides..." He looked down, avoiding any eye contact with her.

"Besides what?" she inquired, her tone not demanding but curious and a bit timid (something no one imagined she could _ever_ be capable of).

"...I'd risk my life to save yours..." he mumbled, immediately wishing he'd said nothing. She stayed silent, not really sure what to say. He'd never spoken like this before, especially to her, so the only logical explanation could be...

"ALRIGHT! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIRAKO SHINJI!!!" she demanded, grabbing Shinji around his scrawny neck.

"Ack!...I...AM...Shinji...dumbass!" he choked out. She released him, causing him to fall onto the ground, his head hitting the chair behind him.

"Because if _you _died, I'd have to find a new ass to kick" he added, pulling himself into the chair.

"Yeah right...I totally kick your ass!"

"Shut up! You little liar!"

"YOU shut up, lewd!"

Yuzu and Karin stood behind the door, spying on them.

"It's gonna be a _long _way to recovery" Karin sighed, watching as the two vaizard began fist-fighting.

"I think they're cute together!" Yuzu whispered, "Like right out of a shoujo manga."

"Oh boy...You're daddy's little girl alright..." She closed the door, giving the vaizard some privacy (while also getting some supplies for Shinji's injuries).


	7. Chapter 7

The room had fallen into complete silence, neither of the vaizard knowing what to say and afraid of bringing up a topic that might upset one another. Quick glances were exchanged as their eyes darted around the room, trying to look anywhere but at their company. Finally unable to tolerate the noiselessness, Hiyori was the first to speak.

"Would you just _say_ it already?!" she shouted, glaring at the stunned Shinji.

"Say what?" he asked, playing dumb, a stupid move. Her fingers twitched as she longed to slap him around with her flip flop. Just this simple familiar action--even if she could do little more than imagine it--slowly relieved a tiny bit of the tension. He smiled at this, a genuine smile seen by few.

"You're doing it wrong" she grumbled.

"What?"

"You're smiling wrong!"

"What the hell! How am I _smiling _wrong?!"

"You've got that 'nice guy' smile, not that 'I know something you don't know' one you usually have."

"Don't like it? Don't look" he sighed, noogieing her. In seconds flat she grabbed his arm and flung him across the room.

"Don't touch my hair" she growled threateningly, "Ever."

Lips slowly curling into the 'I know something you don't know' smirk, he held up a thin red ribbon. Locks of blonde flowed down across the left side of Hiyori's face, freed from the hair ribbon that bound them.

"You bastard..." She began pulling the IV from her arm, jumping out of the bed to attack. Like a lion on a gazelle, she pounced on him, the force of the impact sending them toppling to the floor.

Inconveniently timed as always, Karin and Yuzu came in to check on their patient. For a second they stared down at the two blondes, unsure of what to do.

"Uh…this is a bad time…" Karin stated, covering Yuzu's eyes and backing out of the room.

Too startled by the unexpected visit, neither had noticed the awkward position they were in, Hiyori straddling Shinji.


End file.
